Houses for Heroes

Appeal

In 2007 The Scottish Veterans' Garden City Association (SVGCA) undertook a major study to identify how we might reduce what we believed was an unacceptable waiting time for eligible and, in particular, high priority applicants before we were normally able to offer him or her a house.

In simple terms, in relation to our then existing stock of 594, houses our waiting list of 417 was too large while our turnover, from what are lifetime tenancies, averaging only 31 per year over the previous six years, was too small.

We identified a particular shortage of smaller, single storey, or at least one floor houses suitable for the more seriously disabled who require wheelchair access and manoeuverability. We calculated, that to effectively reduce this waiting time, we needed to build 60 new, mostly two bedroom, single storey, wheelchair friendly houses.

The cost, at 2007's prices, would amount to some £6 million. A huge sum to raise. We have, however, split the project into nine phases and will now take it as far and as quickly as we can, depending on our success in fund-raising.

We approached a large number of Charities in February 2008 and the formal launch took place in Edinburgh Castle at an event hosted by the First Minister on 30th April that year.

As at 1st April 2010 £3,006,186 or over half-way to our target, had been contributed by supporters. This great start has meant that we were able to complete the first four houses, at Motherwell, by Christmas 2008, and a further 10 houses at Scone, near Perth, in March this year, have fully renovated and converted two existing bungalows at Airdrie and started work on 4 new houses at Penicuik, south of Edinburgh, in November 2009. By June 2010 we should have completed 20 houses towards our target of 60. We plan to start work on two more houses at Airdrie in July 2010.

The four new houses at Motherwell.

"Each house coloured in represents £250,000 raised towards our target of £6,000,000"